117 years after the birth of scientist, historian and poet Rómulo de Carvalho, the 24 of November marks another edition of National Day of Scientific Culture. To celebrate this event, created in 1996, Instituto Superior Técnico has compiled various science outreach resources and materials developed by its community (professors, researchers and students) that are available online.
“Explain it like I’m 5”
Since 2020, the “Explain it like I’m 5” project has brought together Técnico scientists and researchers and its affiliated research units, to answer simple questions such as “what colour was Napoleon’s white horse?”, ” What’s the brightest light ever?” or ” What happens to a fridge after it goes to waste?”. These and other questions are explored in a way that is accessible to the youngest, and the episodes are also available on the project’s YouTube channel.
“110 stories, 110 objects” podcast
The “110 stories, 110 objects” podcast. covers the 110 years of history of Instituto Superior Técnico, through its past, present and future objects. These objects are related to different fields, such as science, teaching, arts and sports, and are the starting point for conversations with people who will tell us more about the history of these objects.
Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion’s Book
Bruno Gonçalves, Técnico professor and president of the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion (IPFN), is the author of “Fusão Nuclear na era das alterações climáticas” (“Nuclear Fusion in the Age of Climate Change”). The book is available for free download and aims to discuss nuclear fusion as a safe alternative to help decarbonise the energy industry.
The professor believes that what the population needs is for the options to be presented to them in a scientific manner, weighing up the pros and cons in an informed way, without distorting the perception of risk associated with nuclear power. To this end, he has published a second book, “Nuclear – posologia para combater a desinformação” (Nuclear – strategies to combat misinformation”, which complements the first book and is also available for free download.
Instituto de Telecomunicações’ Scientific Dissemination YouTube Playlist
To celebrate the National Day of Scientific Culture, the Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) has compiled some videos that showcase the science produced at IT, “contributing to a broader understanding of the intricate world of science”. The playlist includes, among other content, several projects developed at IT, with contributions in areas such as cybersecurity, medical imaging for breast cancer screening and ocean plastic waste detection.
Book published by the Laboratory for Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics
As part of its “Particles” exhibition and its 30th anniversary, the Laboratory for Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP) has published a book of the same name, available for free download, aimed at anyone who wants to know more about this research unit and elementary particles. There is also a version adapted for children, with games and colouring pages.
In 2019, LIP created a quiz with questions and answers about chemical elements, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table.
